NHL 17 Wishlist: Features We'd Love to See

Feature Article

Submitted on: 05/02/2016 by Fraser Gilbert

EA recently treated us to our first look at NHL 17 with the unveiling of a brand-new “Vision” trailer. Throughout the course of the video, numerous new features were hinted at, such as a World Cup Of Hockey mode and seemingly major improvements to Be A GM mode.

We’re going to have to wait a little longer to see what EA has in store for us, but in the meantime, I've drawn up a wishlist of the some of the most commonly requested features ahead of the game's release later this year.

AI Improvements

Particular attention needs to be paid to the defensive AI in NHL 17. At present, we’re still inundated with incidents of players getting stuck behind the net, and failing to adapt on the fly and move into correct positions. NHL 16's AI was a big upgrade over the previous year's efforts, but there’s more to be done.

Net Battles

If the new trailer is anything to go by, it would appear net battles stand a chance of being heavily improved in NHL 17. As it stands, battling in front of the net is far too favorable for the offensive team. An improved net battle system would make this scenario a more strategic affair.

More Presentation Features

Doc and Eddie are doing an excellent job in the announcing booth, but there’s still too much repetition on their part. Adding more TV-style presentation aspects, including real-life statistics, would also be a nice touch. I'd like to see even more arena-specific features depending on the arena we’re playing in, too.

A New Stanley Cup Celebration Scene

Every year, we’re faced with practically the same Stanley Cup celebration scene. It feels stale, and it has been that way for far too long. With the next incarnation, I'm hopeful for something a bit more interactive. Imagine skating along the ice with the cup in hand! It’s time for a change.

Be A GM Upgrades

It would appear the new trailer was hinting at some potentially big changes in NHL 17's Be A GM mode, including relocation features. It'd be good to see improved scouting options as well as an upgraded morale system. There are all sorts of ways this mode could be improved, so hopefully EA will give it some serious attention this year.

Be A Pro Needs Attention

Be A Pro doesn’t come equipped with all the bells and whistles that, say, NBA 2K's equivalent does. We don't need necessarily need a storyline, but more interactivity is required to create a more immersive experience. At the moment, it's far too difficult to differentiate between this mode and Be A GM.

The Return Of GM Connected

GM Connected’s brief tenure wasn’t a successful one, but the mode wasn’t that great anyway. Remember the painfully slow menus? The introduction of an overhauled franchise mode we can play with our friends would be great. It seems doubtful EA will look to bring this back in the near future, though, so don't get too excited about this one.

Additional Customization Options

Customization has all but dried up in the NHL series in recent years. In NHL 16, the ability to create a team is missing, and customization in terms of EASHL and HUT teams is lacking. At the very least, we should be able to to create our own EASHL jerseys again! Luckily, the new trailer is hinting at more customization options for the upcoming game.

Winter Classic/All-Star Weekend

The series' transition to the next generation of consoles forced the disappearance of the Winter Classic mode. Now, it's time for it to make a comeback. There has not been an in-depth All-Star Weekend experience in the EA Sports' NHL series yet, either. The skills competition, in particular, would be an exciting addition.

Custom Music

From the days of the ditty importer to assigning playlists on the Xbox 360 and PS3, many of us have spent countless hours tinkering with custom music. Current-gen consoles are partly to blame for the removal of this feature, but we can be hopeful that EA will find a way to bypass any limitations and bring it back.

Responsive Menus

After two years in existence, the menu system in this game still feels slow and buggy at times. Despite the improvements made in NHL 16, an overhauled design with much faster transitions would be preferable. This is especially the case in HUT, where rapidly switching between different menu screens is a necessity.

NHL 17 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 stevostl @ 06/01/16 02:47 PM

for EASHL

I would like to see this:

1. bring back editing your attributes...I was all for the change and making it a level field but I found myself not playing as much now on my own in drop in games in the EASHL if at all ever because there was no point.. before I would always play games trying to level up and now I only played when club got together.. I think bringing back editing your attributes has far more positives than negatives.. first of it.. just being able to edit your guy and if your like me I did it constantly.. is a fun part of the game. and second it is something to play games for to keep you more interested.. and 3rd.. it's nice to able to put attributes in areas you think the game sucks in or your guy needs help in.. and customize to your liking

2. up checking.. I don't want the over hyped arcade like checking where you can check from behind and stuff.. but I also don't want the tone checking as it stands currently. the checking in the early days of the EASHL was for greater than it was today imo

3. tone down poke checking

4. adjust shooting.. for example. the shot for snipers should be more like the norm for the other player builds

5. add more puck control some..

6. create practice rink for all clubs members to be in at the same time to shoot around and practice against eachother..

overall.. there needs to be more goals.

and bring back the fun. I'm all for realism.. but the latest EASHL is NOT as fun as it use to be and I think the things I mentioned is the main reasons why... maybe I am the only one.. but I rather play EASHL versions 09 - 11 than the 16. I think it needs to go more back to it's roots and what it made it so great to begin with

# 42 AnDan @ 06/02/16 12:45 PM

- seasonal players stats in HUT
- more team stats (both seasonal/total)
- custom online leagues in HUT/versus

# 43 Money99 @ 06/06/16 02:04 PM

Mentioned this in the NHL 17 info thread, but it probably belongs here.

1. Online management capability.
Give the user full managerial access to their team from any PC so you can make off-ice changes.
Then when I get home and fire the game up, it will automatically download these changes so all I need to do is play the game.

2. For online leagues, upload all information so we can see stats, standings, schedules, transactions, news, etc from a web browser.
I'm in an OOTP league and I swear I burn 2 hours a day just looking at boxscores, transactions, nitpicking my roster, etc...

Something like that might push people to actually use the online GM mode.

As far as gameplay, most of what I want is covered here.
But if I can add another, have some sort of auto-puck-control for when I level a player and want to coral the friggin' puck so I can take advantage of a turnover I just created with a body check.
It's so frustrating to knock someone over, only to see them get up, control the puck and skate on their marry way like nothing happened.
Meanwhile, my guy is trying to step over the downed opponent and searching for the puck before being left in the dust.

# 44 ChubbyD @ 06/06/16 03:11 PM

One more quick little nugget that has to do with commentary - I play 3-game series in the playoffs and play as many of the games as time allows. So I go into game 2 of the Final last night, Washington up 1-0 on Chicago. And Doc and Eddie talk about Game 4, and how hard it is to come back from down 3-0 and the Hawks are on the verge of being swept.

I get why it's like that, but add in some commentary with respect to 3 and 5 games series. If I remember right, they already have some single elimination-type commentary for the single game series.

# 45 redslumber @ 06/06/16 04:50 PM

Frostbite Engine.

# 46 Sparkles @ 06/06/16 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redslumber


	Frostbite Engine.

PLEEEEEEEAAAAAASE

# 47 Sports360 @ 06/10/16 01:50 PM

How about bringing back the winter classic !!, step 2 changing the pre game intro and chasing the commentary get some Canadian broadcast guys to do it, the abc stuff is trash for hockey, its only good for the nba !!

# 48 Redstar5 @ 06/11/16 06:48 AM

For Be A GM:

Contextual development in trades/ scouting/ line chemistry
As a player ages, speed/ agility/ durability might decline but poise might increase. So there is value to picking up a wily veteran whose overall might be low but whose attributes still make him a good pick-up for play-offs (assuming the attributes work...)

Equally, attributes/ age/ size and background should all play a role in line chemistry and potentially act as multipliers, where individual OVR may be lower.

Improved detail in team/ line strategies
Frequently you hear commentators talking about a team playing to their identity, but at the moment everything is too generic. Strategies should be expanded and actually promote different playing styles. So, your team identity might favour big players playing a 'heavy' game. However a line within that team that contains fast, skillful forwards should still be able to play a different style.

# 49 bad_philanthropy @ 06/16/16 10:07 AM

I've been thinking about goalie play in general and how I see too much positive ability across all ratings categories.

I think a goalie attributes scaling slider separate from skaters might be a welcome addition.

I've talked about it before, but I a 55 ovr Jr goalie shouldn't perform similarly to an AHL vs NHL goalie. This should be true despite playing against similarly rated junior players. I guess, generally, I feel goalie ability/play isn't scaled well with respect to their level of competition/development.

I'm not saying I want lower rated goalies to be helpless, but it feels like the disadvantage skaters have (and they should have a disadvantage vs good goalies) is magnified at the lower ratings relative to the goalie.

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